


Lipstick and Knives, and Everything Nice

by Meatball42



Series: Rare Pairs [78]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Bechdel Test Pass, Cunnilingus, F/F, Iron Man 2, Manipulation, Seduction, Undercover Natasha Romanov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-03-30 02:01:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19032466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meatball42/pseuds/Meatball42
Summary: Toni Stark does like a pretty face, but a sharp mind is enough to pull her away from a throng of gorgeous sycophants. That’s good intel.





	Lipstick and Knives, and Everything Nice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thedevilchicken](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedevilchicken/gifts).



There’s one thing that all of SHIELD’s analyses of Toni Stark agree on: the woman cannot say no to a pretty face.

Of course, most of SHIELD’s analysts are men.

Prepping for her undercover stint at Stark Industries, Natasha reads over all the video, the magazine articles, the police reports, the inquests by Senate committees and the FEC. It’s rare that she has so much material on a mark.

It’s rare that the material she has on a mark is so unilaterally misleading.

In a dark brown wig, skillfully applied bronzer, and last season’s Vera Wang, Natasha observes from a few dozen feet away while Toni Stark plays Chicago society like a master puppeteer. She wears a well-fit designer evening gown, light make-up, and her hair in an unrefined ponytail: it's her classic Look, both lauded and criticized, and it's unmistakable. Those in her circle hang on her word; those further off watch her, wishing they were near. She’s the center of the room, effortlessly, wherever she goes. People flock to her, but Toni looks arrogantly right through them, until a young woman in an off-the-rack dress and flats scurries up to her as she moves between group.

Toni shows a brief flash of annoyance, trying to brush the woman off, but something catches her attention. She directs the two beautiful hangers-on she’s accumulated to keep moving, and brings the plain-looking woman to the bar.

Natasha makes her way over, taking her time, and orders a complicated drink not too far away from the pair. While the bartender scowls through mixing her drink, Natasha eavesdrops.

“...not feasible with the technology currently available at my university. I’ve applied for grants, but no one wants to touch it. I… I’m not trying to boast, Ms. Stark, but I think this research could be a game-changer, and…”

“It’s promising, I’ll give you that,” Toni remarks. “But Stark Industries isn’t currently in the business of environmental clean-up. I can pass your name to a few people I know, but—”

“I’m not looking for a job, Ms. Stark,” the woman interrupts. “And I don’t want to go to Roxxon with this. You know what would happen.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I want to…” she takes a deep breath. “I want to give you everything I have. Stark Industries isn’t in the business, but it could be. You’re expanding, you’re looking for alternatives to weapons. Cleaning the planet goes hand-in-hand with clean energy, and the nuclear aspects of my formula were developed out of radiation research that your company started, back in the day. You can make something of this, my studies have been exemplary, it will make a difference!”

“Mina, Mina—can I call you Mina?” At the scientist’s eager nod, Toni continues. “I appreciate your single-minded pursuit of righteous science, I really do, but it’s not quite so simple. Maybe… I could explain some of the roadblocks over dinner, and we could try to think of ways around them?”

In the corner of Natasha’s eye, she catches the smirk that graces a dozen magazine covers. Mina blinks several times in quick succession as her cheeks pinken.

“Um… sure, of course Ms. Stark.”

“It’s Toni,” the CEO purrs.

Natasha is a professional, and doesn’t roll her eyes. She has mostly finished her drink, so she leaves the glass on the bar and moves away casually.

That night, Toni leaves the party alone. Natasha spots her meeting up with Mina outside the venue, inviting the scientist into her limo.

So. Toni Stark does like a pretty face, but a sharp mind is enough to pull her away from a throng of gorgeous sycophants. That’s good intel.

It ends up being useful as they craft Natasha’s undercover persona. Natasha vetoes the external approaches they were considering, a model or someone’s plus-one who would meet Toni at a party. Natasha saw first-hand how quickly those women were dropped for something more worthwhile.

Instead, the manage to place her in Legal. When she manages to get facetime with Toni, she plays up the ‘focused professional’ angle, while the only message her body is putting across is ‘touch me.’

It works, of course. Not many people are able to resist a targeted Black Widow seduction.

She turns down the heat once she gets the job as Toni’s personal assistant. This op is about access, not manipulation. Natasha is exactly where she wants to be; now she has to maintain the course in the wildly unpredictable world of the Iron Woman, now-former CEO of Stark Industries.

But… Toni Stark does ping Natasha’s personal radar: the muscle on her, from her hands-on engineering work; her brashness and humor, which remind Natasha of Clint on his most extroverted day; the way all the men and women who spend the night with Toni have a worshipful tone when they speak of her later on, even the ones who went to her bed out of spite.

It’s been a while since Natasha’s been with someone who could really satisfy her. Maybe she just needs to get laid.

As Toni’s condition worsens, Nick makes the call to send Coulson in with some of Howard Stark’s research that SHIELD ‘just found while clearing out an old storage facility.’ Toni is able to synthesize a new element for her arc reactor in less than a week, with Natasha keeping a careful eye on her health and progress whenever she brings coffee or food.

Toni’s focus shifts to supporting Pepper’s new position as CEO, and she and Natasha spend a lot of time in hotels as Toni flies around the country for speaking engagements, shareholders meetings, and putting out various fires, both corporate and criminal. The newly redesigned Iron Woman suit gets a decent workout.

Natasha’s original mission is long-since complete, but she indicates to Coulson that she wants to remain in place and her handler agrees. Natasha had conpleted her official recommendation after Toni created the new element, and tentatively recommended Toni for the Avengers Initiative, with careful handling. Toni’s method for coping with her encroaching death was to give Pepper her company and then push the woman away by parading a series of lovers in front of her face, despite knowing that Pepper had feelings for her. It worked, and now Toni has to deal with trying to get back into Pepper’s good graces. But other people have made far more destructive mistakes when facing their own death. Natasha feels that, with careful management, Toni’s less cooperative tendencies could be overcome.

But… there’s still some insight she’s missing, and without it, the report feels incomplete. Natasha wavers on whether or not to end the mission, but instinct tells her that she isn’t done yet.

Instinct, and the way Toni looks stepping out of the Iron Woman suit in her skintight catsuit, or dressed up in Prada and Louboutins.

The answer is in the way Toni laughs around her now. Toni generally ignores the staff, except for teasing the ones she knows well, like Happy Hogan. But Natasha lets slip a few bone-dry one-liners, feeling satisfaction at Toni’s double-takes. It doesn’t take long for Toni to get into it whenever they’re in relative privacy, playing up her more goofy tendencies to let Natasha play the straight man. Toni smiles at her, winks at her.

It shouldn’t feel so good—Natasha is a professional, after all. She doesn’t get attached, or affectionate. She definitely doesn’t adjust the mission parameters because of… emotions.

She just really needs to get laid.

And then, Toni finds out.

Natasha never learns how Toni discovered the truth. But one evening, Natasha is making cappuccinos for them both in the kitchen of Toni’s Malibu house when Toni enters the room and stops, breathing hard.

“Natasha Alianovna Romanova,” she says clearly.

All of Natasha’s senses go on alert, but it doesn’t show on her face.

“Antoinette Isabella Stark,” she replies. Her tone is on the edge of facetious, and Toni clenches her jaw.

“You’re SHIELD.”

“Yes.”

Toni’s scowl deepens. “You’re a plant.”

“Yes.”

“Trying to steal my tech?”

“No.” SHIELD is manipulative, not self-destructive.

“Then what?!” Toni shouts.

Natasha notices a gleam right at the base of the kitchen doorway. Toni brought the suitcase armor with her.

The coffee maker beeps its completion. Natasha takes a mug and slumps against the counter. Relaxed, holding hot liquid: clearly not about to fight.

“We got worried. Our surveillance figured out that your arc reactor was hurting you. There were concerns.”

“I don’t need a babysitter.” Toni’s words curl spitefully.

“Then I guess our concerns were unfounded.”

Natasha puts down the coffee and turns away, intending to leave through the other side of the kitchen. She hears Toni coming, but doesn’t do anything to stop the woman from grabbing her wrist to spin her around.

“You don’t get to waltz out of here like everything’s peachy keen.”

Natasha pulls her arm away and Toni pushes her back against the wall.

“You want the list of things I could charge you with? Industrial espionage, fraud, falsifying federal documents—”

“You think any of that’s going to make it past SHIELD?” Natasha challenges. Toni’s jaw clenches and Natasha smirks. “Yeah. What are you going to do?”

She tilts her neck just so, reading the tension in the air. There's a beat of stillness before they crash together.

Her mouth is crushed against Toni’s, her scalp stung by callused fingers gripping her hair. She digs her nails into Toni’s back and makes Toni press her into the wall.

Toni uses teeth. Toni growls into her mouth, things like “lying bitch!” and “your fucking sinful lips” and “waiting to get you naked for weeks.” She rips Natasha’s blazer halfway off her shoulders, then uses it to swing Natasha around so she can back her into the kitchen island.

Toni’s wearing a band t-shirt and capris. Natasha unbuttons the pants and Toni slaps her hands away, pulling her to the side by her hair so she can suck a bruise into Natasha’s neck. Natasha slips a knife out of a hidden pocket and cuts a slit up the front of the shirt.

Toni pulls back, her shirt torn from hem past the base of the arc reactor. As she stares in shock, Natasha tears the rest open, then bares her teeth when Toni looks up at her.

When Natasha smooths her hands around Toni’s ribcage and kisses her passionately, Toni melts into it. Their hands rubs and tease, rather than scratch, as they divest each other of the rest of their clothes. Toni grabs Natasha’s ass over her designer underwear and Natasha bites her earlobe.

“You know, you weren’t actually a bad PA,” Toni comments breathily, like she’s reconsidering the whole ‘bury you in lawsuits’ thing.

Natasha rolls her eyes, then spins them and lifts Toni onto the island smoothly, earning a gasp and then an admiring look.

“Do you do crossfit or something?”

“Super Soldier Serum.”

Toni grabs her shoulders tight, halting Natasha’s hands on her waistband. “Are you for real?” she asks, wide-eyed.

“No.”

Toni glares, but when Natasha strips the pants off her, she forgets about it. “Natalie, _yes,"_  she groans as Natasha slowly runs a finger inside her underwear, stroking over her folds. Natasha wraps her hands around Toni’s hips and deliberately drags her to the edge of the counter, then puts a hand on her collarbones and pushes her to lie back.

Toni has to shove aside a toaster to make room, but the counters are wide enough, even if they’re not at a great height for this. Natasha can feel her neck protesting in advance as she bends over and noses at Toni’s inner thighs, but the smell is so good that she doesn’t even care.

Toni moans as Natasha nuzzles the sensitive area. “Natasha… do it, put your tongue in me, I’m so wet for you already. Please taste me, I need to feel you.”

Toni’s hips squirm on the marble and Natasha is weak for it. She gets the underwear out of her way, discarded somewhere behind her, and runs her tongue gently up Toni’s folds, savoring the first slick taste of her and relishing Toni’s whimper.

Toni keeps talking, pleading and demanding by turns. Her thighs shiver, her socked feet scrabbling for purchase on the cupboards. When Natasha delves deeper with her tongue, Toni curls up, and her feet land on Natasha’s shoulders.

Natasha’s nails are long, so she makes use of her tongue and chin and nose on the most sensitive flesh, and reserves her hands for holding down Toni’s jerking hips and scratching down her abdomen to loud approval. Her face is wet and sticky by the time Toni is taking fast, shallow breaths and whining every few seconds, all the muscles in her lower body tightened in expectation. Natasha doubles down on her suction and lets loose with her teeth, having guessed that Toni likes a little sharp pain to go with her pleasure.

Sure enough, Toni cries out loud enough to echo in the hall next door, her head cracking against the countertop hard enough that Natasha worries about a concussion. Natasha sucks through it, a hard, pulsing suck-and-rub on the clit with her lips that has Toni moaning in pained appreciation, until a hand comes down to push on her forehead. Even then, she spends a few minutes lapping up the wetness spread all over Toni’s groin and thighs, appreciating every last bit of it.

Toni recovers in a minute or two, sitting up slowly and sliding off the counter. Her knees seem weak: she has to steady herself before she can stand without holding onto the counter.

Despite the lassitude in her movements, her gaze is suspicious when she looks at Natasha again. “This doesn’t mean we’re good. You’ve been spying on me. I’m not going to let this go.”

Natasha wipes the corner of her mouth, drawing Toni’s eyes, then nods. “I’ve been spying on you, yes. For the Avengers Initiative. You know what that is, right?”

“Officially no. So of course I do.”

“I’ve been evaluating you for a role on the team.” She pauses long enough to see the fire light in Toni’s eyes. “I’ve recommended that we take you on.”

“We?” That sharp intelligence begins analyzing her in an entirely new way. “You’re going to be an Avenger?”

“I am.” Natasha hesitates, analyzing what Toni’s next issue will be. “Soon, we’ll be on a team together. My first loyalty will be to the Avengers.”

“SHIELD wouldn’t let you put anything else first.” Toni is scoffing, but under the bluster there’s disappointment.

Natasha holds Toni’s eyes as she says, very clearly, “I’m the Black Widow. I do what I want.” She lowers her gaze to Toni’s mouth, her chest, the button of her pants, before returning it innocently to Toni’s face.

Toni is shocked to speechlessness, so Natasha licks her lip subtly, adjusting her carriage to the same ‘touch me’ stance as when she was working on pulling Toni in, and casually brushes hair behind her ear, drawing attention to her long neck. It’s all calculated, but this time, Toni can recognize it.

And it still works.

Satisfied, Natasha steps backwards, perfectly graceful on high heels. “Good night, Ms. Stark.” She leaves the room, and Toni’s eyes burn into her back until she’s out of sight.

The next morning, Natasha tests her access by trying to open the door that leads to Toni’s private home office. It opens.

Mentally, Natasha gives herself a pat on the back for a mission completed.


End file.
